Numerous shopping carts as used in supermarkets and the like, including those known as an "over-the-counter" cart which employs an upwardly opening basket constructed of wire rod, the basket having a relatively high bottom wall disposed so as to be at an elevation closely adjacent to and preferably slightly above the elevation of a checkout counter. In an attempt to facilitate unloading of the goods from the basket onto the counter, either by the customer or the cashier, such carts have conventionally been provided with an openable front gate. By slightly manually lifting the front gate to release a latch, the gate can then be hingedly swung outwardly and downwardly to provide access to the interior of the basket through a front opening therein. In some of these known carts, the gate has additionally been slidably moveable into a storage position directly beneath the bottom wall of the basket when the gate is opened. Examples of known carts of this general type are illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,245,498, 3,503,622, 3,815,932 and 4,118,044. While carts of this general type have been extensively utilized for a number of years, nevertheless it has also been recognized that such carts do not always provide optimum convenience for cashier unloading, particularly when using counters employing price scanners, since such carts and the required counter length can result in undesired and sometimes uncomfortable cashier movements in order to remove merchandise from the basket and then pass it over the scanner.
Another example of a shopping cart having an openable front gate is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,665. The cart of this latter patent employs a front gate which, when released, drops generally straight down so as to be generally suspended below the bottom wall when in the opened position. The gate of this cart, however, in addition to being front opening, is also designed for cooperation with an automated counter which, through a suitable electric-type actuator, is designed to release and lower the gate when the cart is positioned adjacent the end of the counter. When in the closed position, the gate is secured by a latching structure which cooperates between the lower edge of the gate and the basket. This gate arrangement is undesirable not only due to its front orientation, but also due to its being wholly unsuitable for manual actuation and control. The provision of a bottom latch also makes the gate more susceptible to being accidentally opened, and hence can permit accidental discharge of goods from the basket.
In an attempt to provide improved cashier-unloading of goods from the basket, one shopping cart has been introduced which employs a basket sidewall having an unloading opening formed therein, and the side wall is provided with an openable gate for normally closing off this opening. The gate is manually actuated (i.e., opened and closed) by the cashier. This gate, however, is hingedly supported about a generally horizontal hinge pin at one of its lower corners to the basket side wall, whereby opening of the gate requires it to be swung generally upwardly through about a 90.degree. angle in generally parallel relationship to the side wall. Closing of the gate involves a downward swinging movement. With this arrangement, however, there is the inherent danger that the opened gate may be accidentally jarred or moved when the cashier is unloading the goods, and hence such may cause the gate to fall downwardly onto the cashier's hand or arm. Further, it is believed that the required upward and sideward swinging of the gate in order to move it into an open position is a less comfortable and more complex movement as required by the cashier. Further, the gate always remains located above the bottom wall of the basket when in the open position, thereby increasing the risk of accidental closing and restricting the usable basket space and basket accessibility.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved shopping cart having a side-opening gate, which cart is believed to improve upon the structural and operational characteristics of carts of the above type, and to provide improved performance characteristics with respect to permissible cashier unloading of the goods from the basket.
More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved shopping cart having a side-opening gate arrangement associated with one of the basket side walls. The gate at its upper edge has a latch arrangement which cooperates with the adjacent side walls to simply but securely maintain the gate in its closed position. The lower edge of the gate is disposed in guided slidable engagement with guide structure which is fixed to the basket adjacent the opposite lower corners of the opening. The gate can be easily and simply opened by the cashier lifting the gate a small amount to release the latch, slightly pulling it forwardly and then permitting the weight of the gate to move it downwardly into an opened position, under the control of the cashier's hand, so that the gate is generally suspended below the bottom wall of the basket. The gate can be closed by the cashier engaging the upper edge of the gate and lifting it upwardly to its full extent, at the same time slightly pushing the gate inwardly at its upper position, and then releasing the gate so that it latches to the adjacent side wall.
With the improved cart and gate arrangement of the present invention, the cart can be constructed in a simple and economical manner, the cart possesses desirable strength and rigidity, the gate can be simply and safely operated, the gate when in an opened position provides optimal accessibility to the interior of the basket by the cashier, and the gate can be repeatedly operated in a dependable and maintenance free manner.
Other objects and purposes of the improved cart of this invention will be apparent to persons familiar with structures of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.